Kansas City Connection: Looking ahead to summer’s big events

In this week’s column, I wanted to pay tribute to a personal Kansas City Connection: the marriage of my brother David and his brand-new bride, Kate Naramore, who were wed yesterday at the Shirk Barn in North Lawrence.

Kate and David first met in Lawrence, where they attended Kansas University, and they now live in Mission. To open this week’s column, I thought it would be fun to ask Kate, a native Lawrencian, about some of her favorite Kansas City discoveries.

Kate says one of her favorite things about the area is exploring unique neighborhoods like Columbus Park, The Westside, Strawberry Hill and even the little places tucked away in Mission. She and David like to take their dog, Bailey, to the off-leash dog park at Shawnee Mission Lake, and she enjoys the city’s many magnolia trees in the spring.

So far, the biggest drawback to KC living has been finding a grocery store combo that comes anywhere close to Lawrence’s Checkers (for pretty much everything, at cheap prices) and The Merc (for specialty foods and a central location). Nonetheless, Kate says she’s recently found herself recommending places in Kansas City with the same fervor she has for Larrytown standbys.

Before that, though, a big cup of coffee or fresh juice at the new Filling Station Coffee at 7420 Johnson Drive in Overland Park, or an early morning visit to the City Market, where Kate occasionally works the stand for Washington Creek Lavender of Lawrence.

For comfort food, Kate enjoys Pizza 51 West (5938 Mission Road), Thai Orchid in Mission (6504 Martway) or Hot Basil Thai in Overland Park (7528 W. 119th St.). For happy hour drinks, she “adores” the Jacobson (2050 Central, in the Crossroads), and for a low-key night at the pub, she recommends Breit’s Stein and Deli (412 N. Fifth St. in KCK).

Kate and David are also fans of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, which they regularly attend with my grandparents, occasionally followed up by a cocktail at Westport Cafe and Bar (419 Westport Road).

With that, I’d like to congratulate Kate and David and wish them a happy start to their lives together.

Summer outlook

Let’s move on to a few suggestions for planning your own Kansas City summer of love.

On June 10 and 11, The Kansas City Symphony will join popular pianist/songwriter Ben Folds for a special performance at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The Symphony will also perform its “Pops in the Park” concert on Sept. 1 at Shawnee Mission Park.

The Sprint Center will host a new production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” on July 2, and the annual Heart of America Shakespeare Festival will present “The Winter’s Tale” from June 17 through July 6 in Southmoreland Park.

Among the many festivals worth checking out are the inaugural “Boulevardia” beer/food/music event in the West Bottoms (June 13-15, boulevardia.com), Jazz in the Woods (June 20 and 21, Corporate Woods), Riverfest at Berkley Park on July 4, which includes the city’s largest fireworks display, and the KC Fringe Festival (July 17-27, kcfringe.org).

— Lucas Wetzel is a writer and editor from Kansas City, Mo. Know of an upcoming event in Kansas City you’d like to see featured in Kansas City Connection? Email us about it at kcconnection@ljworld.com.